The tectonic fracture modeling of an ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir based on an outcrop analogy: A case study in the Wangyao Oilfield of Ordos Basin, China

Due to inherent limits of data acquisition and geophysical data resolution, there are large uncertainties in the characterization of subsurface fractures. However, outcrop analogies can provide qualitative and quantitative information on a large number of fractures, based on which the accuracy of subsurface fracture characterization can be improved. Here we take the tectonic fracture modeling of an ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir based on an outcrop analogy, a case study of the Chang6t~ Formation of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Group of the Wangyao Oilfield in the Ordos Basin of China. An outcrop at the edge of the basin is a suitable analog for the reservoir, but the prerequisite is that they must have equivalent previous stress fields, similar final structural characteristics, relative timing and an identical depositional environment and diagenesis. The relationship among fracture density, rock type and bed thickness based on the outcrop is one of the most important fracture distribution models, and can be used to interpret fracture density in individual wells quantitatively. Fracture orientation, dip, geometry and scale, also should be described and measured in the outcrop, and can be used together with structure restoration and single well fracture density interpretation to guide fracture intensity prediction on bed surfaces and to constrain the construction of the 3D fracture geometry model of the subsurface reservoir. The application of the above principles shows the outcrop-based tectonic fracture models of the target ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir are consistent with fractures inferred from microseismic interpretation and tracer tests. This illustrated that the fracture modeling based on the outcrop analogy is reliable and can reduce the uncertainty in stochastic fracture modeling.

Determination of microscopic waterflooding characteristics and influence factors in ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir

Actual sandstone micromodel was used in this work to conduct the microscopic waterflooding experiment of ultra-low sandstone reservoir,since the inside seepage characteristics of microscopic waterflooding process of Chang 8 ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir of Upper Triassic Yanchang formation in Huaqing region of the Ordos Basin,China is difficult to observe directly.Combined with physical property,casting thin sections,constant-rate mercury injection capillary pressure and nuclear magnetic resonance,the influence of reservoir property on the waterflooding characteristics in pores were analyzed and evaluated.Seepage paths of waterflooding characteristics were divided into four types:homogeneous seepage,reticular-homogeneous seepage,finger-reticular seepage and finger-like seepage,the waterflooding efficiency of which decreases in turn.More than 70%of residual oil occurs as flowing-around seepage and oil film.Physical property,pore structure and movable fluid characteristics are all controlled by digenesis and their impacts on waterflooding efficiency are in accordance.Generally,the pore throat radius size and distribution and movable fluid percentage are closely related to waterflooding law.

Synchronous injection-production energy replenishment for a horizontal well in an ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir: A case study of Changqing oilfield in Ordos Basin, NW China

It is difficult to build an effective water flooding displacement pressure system in the middle section of a horizontal well in an ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir.To solve this problem,this study proposes to use packers,sealing cannula and other tools in the same horizontal well to inject water in some fractures and produce oil from other fractures.This new energy supplement method forms a segmental synchronous injection-production system in a horizontal well.The method can reduce the distance between the injection end and the production end,and quickly establish an effective displacement system.Changing the displacement between wells to displacement between horizontal well sections,and point water flooding to linear uniform water flooding,the method can enhance water sweeping volume and shorten waterflooding response period.The research shows that:(1)In the synchronous injection and production of horizontal well in an ultra-low-permeability sandstone reservoir,the water injection section should select the section where the natural fractures and artificial fractures are in the same direction or the section with no natural fractures,and the space between two sections should be 60?80 m.(2)In addition to controlling injection pressure,periodic water injection can be taken to reduce the risk of re-opening and growth of natural fractures or formation fracture caused by the gradual increase of water injection pressure with water injection going on.(3)Field tests have verified that this method can effectively improve the output of single well and achieve good economic benefits,so it can be widely used in the development of ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoirs.

Experimental study of the influencing factors and mechanisms of the pressure-reduction and augmented injection effect by nanoparticles in ultra-low permeability reservoirs

Nanoparticles(NPs)have gained significant attention as a functional material due to their ability to effectively enhance pressure reduction in injection processes in ultra-low permeability reservoirs.NPs are typically studied in controlled laboratory conditions,and their behavior in real-world,complex environments such as ultra-low permeability reservoirs,is not well understood due to the limited scope of their applications.This study investigates the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of NPs in decreasing injection pressure under various injection conditions(25—85℃,10—25 MPa).The results reveal that under optimal injection conditions,NPs effectively reduce injection pressure by a maximum of 22.77%in core experiment.The pressure reduction rate is found to be positively correlated with oil saturation and permeability,and negatively correlated with temperature and salinity.Furthermore,particle image velocimetry(PIV)experiments(25℃,atmospheric pressure)indicate that the pressure reduction is achieved by NPs through the reduction of wall shear resistance and wettability change.This work has important implications for the design of water injection strategies in ultra-low permeability reservoirs.

Optimization of Gas-Flooding Fracturing Development in Ultra-Low Permeability Reservoirs

Ultra-low permeability reservoirs are characterized by small pore throats and poor physical properties, which areat the root of well-known problems related to injection and production. In this study, a gas injection floodingapproach is analyzed in the framework of numerical simulations. In particular, the sequence and timing of fracturechanneling and the related impact on production are considered for horizontal wells with different fracturemorphologies. Useful data and information are provided about the regulation of gas channeling and possible strategiesto delay gas channeling and optimize the gas injection volume and fracture parameters. It is shown that inorder to mitigate gas channeling and ensure high production, fracture length on the sides can be controlled andlonger fractures can be created in the middle by which full gas flooding is obtained at the fracture location in themiddle of the horizontal well. A Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm is provided by which the gas injectionvolume and the fracture parameters of gas injection flooding can be optimized. It is shown that an improvedoil recovery factor as high as 6% can be obtained.

Effects of effective stress and temperature on permeability of sandstone from CO2-plume geothermal reservoir

Rock is generally complex and heterogeneous,therefore the heterogeneity effects of effective stress and temperature on permeability should be taken into account.In this study,two-part Hooke’s model（TPHM） is introduced to understand the influences of effective stress and temperature on permeability of soft and hard parts（two parts） of rock based on coupling thermo-hydro-mechanical tests.Under a fixed temperature level（25 ℃.35 ℃.50 ℃.65 ℃.80 ℃.90 ℃ and 95 ℃）.the tests were carried out in a conventional triaxial system whereas the confining pressure was remained at 50 MPa.and the pore pressure was increased to the specified levels step by step.i.e.8 MPa,18 MPa.28 MPa.38 MPa.41 MPa,44 MPa.46 MPa and 48 MPa.The temperature-dependent relationships for two parts permeabilities are proposed on the basis of the initial test results.We point out that temperature of 65 ℃-90 ℃ is the threshold for the development of CO2-plume geothermal（CPC） reservoir sandstone cracking under low effective stress（2-9 MPa） based on the relationship between temperature and soft part permeability.Furthermore,we discuss the effect of temperature on the two parts in the rock.The results indicate that as the temperature increases from 25 ℃ to 65 ℃.the flow channel in the hard part has a stronger response to temperature than that in the soft part at a fixed effective stress level,which is opposite to the situation of effective stress.Considering that natural rock is generally heterogeneous with non-uniform pore structure,we suggest a physical interpretation of the phenomenon that before the thermal cracking threshold the two parts have different responses to temperature.

Permeability damage micro-mechanisms and stimulation of low-permeability sandstone reservoirs: A case study from Jiyang Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China

According to the characteristics of"structural elements"(framework grain,interstitial material and pore throat structure)of low-permeability sandstone reservoir,the"step by step dissolution and separation"acidification and acid fracturing technology has been developed and tested in field.There are three main mechanisms affecting permeability of low-permeability sandstone reservoir:(1)The mud fillings between the framework grains block the seepage channels.(2)In the process of burial,the products from crystallization caused by changes in salinity and solubility and uneven migration and variation of the syn-sedimentary formation water occupy the pores and throat between grains.(3)Under the action of gradual increase of overburden pressure,the framework grains of the rock is compacted tighter,making the seepage channels turn narrower.The"step by step dissolution and separation"acidification(acid fracturing)technology uses sustained release acid as main acidizing fluid,supramolecular solvent instead of hydrochloric acid to dissolve carbonate,and a composite system of ammonium hydrogen fluoride,fluoroboric acid,and fluorophosphoric acid to dissolve silicate,and dissolving and implementing step by step,finally reaching the goal of increasing porosity and permeability.By using the technology,the main blocking interstitial material can be dissolved effectively and the dissolution residual can be removed from the rock frame,thus expanding the effective drainage radius and increasing production and injection of single well.This technology has been proved effective by field test.

Formation damage control of high permeability sandstone reservoir

The concern on formation damage control of high permeability sandstone reservoir has been growing in oil industry in recent years. The invasion of particles and the filtrate of drilling fluid are proven as one of the key factors accounting for reservoir damage. Based on the ideal packing theory, the practical software has been developed to optimize the blending proportion of several bridging agents, and the core flooding tests were conducted to evaluate return permeability of core samples contaminated with different drilling fluids. Experimental results show that the ideal packing approach can reduce the dynamic filtration rate, improve the return permeability and drawdown the breakthrough pressure, indicating that this kind of drilling fluids can meet the demands of formation damage control for high permeability sandstone reservoirs. Some applying procedures for formation damage control are also proposed in this paper.

Profile improvement during CO_2 flooding in ultra-low permeability reservoirs

Gas flooding such as CO2 flooding may be effectively applied to ultra-low permeability reservoirs, but gas channeling is inevitable due to low viscosity and high mobility of gas and formation heterogeneity. In order to mitigate or prevent gas channeling, ethylenediamine is chosen for permeability profile control. The reaction mechanism of ethylenediamine with CO2, injection performance, swept volume, and enhanced oil recovery were systematically evaluated. The reaction product of ethylenediamine and CO2 was a white solid or a light yellow viscous liquid, which would mitigate or prevent gas channeling. Also, ethylenediamine could be easily injected into ultra-low permeability cores at high temperature with protective ethanol slugs. The core was swept by injection of 0.3 PV ethylenediamine. Oil displacement tests performed on heterogeneous models with closed fractures, oil recovery was significantly enhanced with injection of ethylenediamine. Experimental results showed that using ethylenediamine to plug high permeability layers would provide a new research idea for the gas injection in fractured, heterogeneous and ultra-low permeability reservoirs. This technology has the potential to be widely applied in oilfields.

On the Development of an Effective Pressure Driving System for Ultra-Low Permeability Reservoirs

Given its relevance to the exploitation of ultra-low permeability reservoirs,which account for a substantial proportion of the world’s exploited and still unexploited reserves,in the present study the development of an adequate water injection system is considered.Due to the poor properties and weak seepage capacity of these reservoirs,the water injection pressure typically increases continuously during water flooding.In this research,the impact on such a process of factors as permeability,row spacing,and pressure gradient is evaluated experimentally using a high-pressure large-scale outcrop model.On this basis,a comprehensive evaluation coefficient is introduced able to account for the effective driving pressure.

Displacement behavior and mechanism of long-term water flooding in sandstone oil reservoirs

Sandstone oil reservoirs with huge bottom water and high permeability are generally developed with high flow rate.After long-term water flooding(LTWF),the water flooding characteristics are quite different from that of original reservoir.In this paper,the effects of the PV number,viscosity,and displacement rate during LTWF are studied through experiments.The mechanism is analyzed based on analysis of changes in oil composition,rock mineral composition and wettability.The oil-water relative permeability curves,oil recovery and wettability were obtained with new experiments methods,which avoids the oil metering error by measuring oil and water separately.The research indicates that when the viscosity increases,the water phase permeability decreases,the residual oil saturation increases,and the water content rate increases earlier.A higher water flooding rate results in a higher ultimate recovery.A higher asphaltene content results in a higher viscosity and more oil-wet reservoir conditions.After LTWF,the wettability tends to water-wet,which is more favorable for heavy oil recovery.Moreover,LTWF reduces the clay content,which creates a more water-wet surface and a larger reservoir pore throat environment.This research provides insightful characteristics of offshore sandstone oil reservoirs,which can be used to enhance oil recovery.

Method of moderate water injection and its application in ultra-low permeability oil reservoirs of Yanchang Oilfield, NW China

To explore the method of improving development effect and solving the problem of water breakthrough and water out for ultralow permeability fractured reservoirs, an indoor evaluation method of dynamic imbibition for fracture-matrix system was established taking the Chang 8 reservoir in southern Yanchang Oilfield as a research target. Key factors for the imbibition effect were obtained, an imbibition's rate expression was obtained, a model considering the double effects of imbibition-displacement was built and optimal injection and production parameters for the research area were obtained as well. The results show that an optimum displacement rate that maximizes the oil displacement efficiency exists in the water displacing oil process, and the optimal displacing rate becomes smaller as the permeability decreases. The imbibition displacement efficiency increases as the reservoir quality index and water wettability index of rock become bigger. But the larger the initial water saturation or oil-water viscosity ratio is, the smaller the imbibition displacement efficiency is. The optimal injection-production ratio for the Chang 8 reservoir of southern Yanchang Oilfield is 0.95, and the predicted recovery is 17.2% when the water cut is 95%, it is 2.9% higher than the recovery of conventional injection-production ratio 1.2. By using the moderate water injection technique based on the double effects of imbibition-displacement mechanism, the water injection development effect for the ultra-low permeability fractured reservoirs can be improved significantly.

The control effect of low-amplitude structure on oil-gaswater enrichment and development performance of ultra-low permeability reservoirs

Based on drilling, logging, test production and dynamic monitoring data, the control effects of low-amplitude structure on hydrocarbon accumulation and development performance of ultra-low permeability reservoirs were discussed by using the methods of dense well pattern, multi-factor geological modeling, macro and micro analysis and static and dynamic analysis. The results show that the low-amplitude structure always had a significant control and influence on the distribution and accumulation of original hydrocarbon and water and the evolution trend of water flooding performance in ultra-low permeability reservoirs, and it was not only the direction of oil and gas migration, but also a favorable place for relative accumulation of oil and gas. The controlling effect of low-amplitude structure on ultra-low permeability reservoir mainly depended on its tectonic amplitude and scale;the larger the tectonic amplitude and scale, and the higher the tectonic position of the low amplitude structure, the better the reservoir characteristic parameters, oil and gas enrichment degree and development effect, and the larger the spatial scope it controlled and influenced;water cut and oil well output always fluctuated orderly with the height of the low-amplitude structure;the dynamic response of waterflooding was closely related to the relative structural position of the injection and production wells;the injected water always advanced to the low-lying area of the structure first and then moved up to the high-lying area of the structure gradually;with the continuous expansion of the flooded area, part of the oil and gas in the low-lying part of the structure was forced to be distributed to the high part of the structure, resulting in a new oil and gas enrichment, so that the dynamic reserves of oil wells in the high part increased, and the production capacity remained stable.

A quantitative evaluation for well pattern adaptability in ultra-low permeability oil reservoirs:A case study of Triassic Chang 6 and Chang 8 reservoirs in Ordos Basin

Based on the previous studies and development practice in recent 10 years, a quantitative evaluation method for the adaptability of well patterns to ultra-low permeability reservoirs was established using cluster analysis and gray correlation method, and it includes 10 evaluation parameters in the four aspects of optimal evaluation parameters, determination of weights for evaluation parameters, development stage division, and determination of classification coefficients. This evaluation method was used to evaluate the well pattern adaptability of 13 main ultra-low permeability reservoirs in Triassic Chang 6 and Chang 8 of Ordos Basin. Three basic understandings were obtained: Firstly, the well pattern for ultra-low permeability type-I reservoirs has generally good adaptability, with proper well pattern forms and well pattern parameters. Secondly, square inverted nine-spot well pattern is suitable for reservoirs with no fractures; rhombic inverted nine-spot injection pattern is suitable for reservoirs with some fractures; and rectangular well pattern is suitable for reservoirs with rich fractures. Thirdly, for the ultra-low permeability type-Ⅱ and type-Ⅲ reservoirs, with the principles of well pattern form determination, the row spacing needs to be optimized further to improve the level of development of such reservoirs.

Imbibition mechanisms of high temperature resistant microemulsion system in ultra-low permeability and tight reservoirs

Lower-phase microemulsions with core-shell structure were prepared by microemulsion dilution method.The high temperature resistant systems were screened and the performance evaluation experiments were conducted to clarify the spontaneous imbibition mechanisms in ultra-low permeability and tight oil reservoirs,and to direct the field microfracture huff and puff test of oil well.The microemulsion system(O-ME)with cationic-nonionic surfactant as hydrophilic shell,No.3 white oil as oil phase core has the highest imbibition recovery;its spontaneous imbibition mechanisms include:the ultra-low interfacial tension and wettability reversal significantly reduce oil adhesion work to improve oil displacement efficiency,the nanoscale“core-shell structure”formed can easily enter micro-nano pores and throats to expand the swept volume,in addition,the remarkable effect of dispersing and solubilizing crude oil can improve the mobility of crude oil.Based on the experimental results,a microfracture huff and puff test of O-ME was carried out in Well YBD43-X506 of Shengli Oilfield.After being treated,the well had a significant increase of daily fluid production to 5 tons from 1.4 tons,and an increase of daily oil production to 2.7 tons from 1.0 ton before treatment.

A Novel Simulation Framework for Predicting the Formation Parameters Variation in Unconsolidated Sandstone Reservoir

After long-term waterflooding in unconsolidated sandstone reservoir, the high-permeability channels are easy to evolve, which leads to a significant reduction in water flooding efficiency and a poor oilfield development effect. The current researches on the formation parameters variation are mainly based on the experiment analysis or field statistics, while lacking quantitative research of combining microcosmic and macroscopic mechanism. A network model was built after taking the detachment and entrapment mechanisms of particles in unconsolidated sandstone reservoir into consideration. Then a coupled mathematical model for the formation parameters variation was established based on the network modeling and the model of fluids flowing in porous media. The model was solved by a finite-difference method and the Gauss-Seidel iterative technique. A novel field-scale reservoir numerical simulator was written in Fortran 90 and it can be used to predict 1) the evolvement of high-permeability channels caused by particles release and migration in the long-term water flooding process, and 2) well production performances and remaining oil distribution. In addition, a series of oil field examples with inverted nine-spot pattern was made on the new numerical simulator. The results show that the high-permeability channels are more likely to develop along the main streamlines between the injection and production wells, and the formation parameters variation has an obvious influence on the remaining oil distribution.

Influence of strong preformed particle gels on low permeable formations in mature reservoirs

In mature reservoirs,the success of preformed particle gel（PPG） treatment rests primarily on the ability of the PPG to reduce and/or plug the high permeable formations,but not damage the low permeable formations.Static test models（filtration test model and pressure test model）were used to determine the effect of PPG on low permeable formations.This work used a strong preformed particle gel,Daqing（DQ） gel made by a Chinese company.The particle gel sizes were ranged from 30 to 120 mesh for this work.PPGs are sized in a millimeter or micrometer,which can absorb over a hundred times their weight in liquids.The gel strength was approximately 6500 Pa for a completely swollen PPG with 1 %（weight percentage） NaCl solution（brine）.0.05 %,1 %,and 10 % NaCl solutions were used in experiments.Sandstone core permeability was measured before and after PPG treatments.The relationship between cumulative filtration volumes versus filtration times was determined.The results indicate that DQ gels of a particle size of 30–80 mesh did not damage the cores of a low permeability of 3–25 m D.The DQ gels of a smaller particle size ranging from 100 to 120 mesh damaged the core and a cake was formed on the core surface.The results also indicate that more damage occurred when a high load pressure（400 psi） was applied on the high permeability cores（290–310 m D）.The penetration of the particle gelsinto the low permeable formations can be decreased by the best selection of gel types,particle sizes,and brine concentrations.

The distribution rule and seepage effect of the fractures in the ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir in east Gansu Province,Ordos Basin

To study the impact of the fractures on development in the ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoir of the Yangchang Formation of the Upper Triassic in the Ordos Basin,data on outcrops,cores,slices,well logging and experiments are utilized to analyze the cause of the formation of the fractures,their distribution rules and the control factors and discuss the seepage flow effect of the fractures. In the studied area developed chiefly high-angle tectonic fractures and horizontal bedding fractures,inter-granular fractures and grain boundary fractures as well. Grain boundary fractures and intragranular fractures serve as vital channels linking intragranular pores and intergranular solution pores in the reservoir matrix,thus providing a good connectivity between the pores in the ultra-low perme-ability sandstone reservoir. The formation of fractures and their distribution are influenced by such external and internal factors as the palaeo-tectonic stress field,the reservoir lithological character,the thickness of the rock layer and the anisotropy of a layer. The present-day stress field influences the preservative state of fractures and their seepage flow effect. Under the tec-tonic effect of both the Yanshan and Himalayan periods,in this region four sets of fractures are distributed,respectively assuming the NE-SW,NW-SE,nearly E-W and nearly S-N orientations,but,due to the effect of the rock anisotropy of the rock formation,in some part of it two groups of nearly orthogonal fractures are chiefly distributed. Under the effect of the present-day stress field,the fractures that assume the NE-SW direction have a good connectivity,big apertures,a high permeability and a minimum starting pressure,all of which are main advantages of the seepage fractures in this region. With the development of oilfields,the permeability of the fractures of dif-ferent directions will have a dynamic change.

低渗透砂岩油藏不同流体驱油效率实验

准噶尔盆地东缘低渗透砂岩油藏注水开发中—后期,开发效果变差,含水率变高,需要新的有效开发手段,选取不同流体开展驱油效率实验。利用天然岩心组合成长岩心并模拟地层条件,进行全程水驱及水驱至油藏目前采出程度后转注N_(2)、CH_(4)和CO_(2)的驱油实验,并对不同流体注入前后,进行岩心核磁共振扫描及原油赋存孔隙直径反演。研究结果表明,CO_(2)驱可提高原油采出程度21.58%,驱油效率及原油动用程度从大到小依次为CO_(2)、CH_(4)、H_(2)O和N_(2)。N_(2)主要动用较大孔隙中的原油,动用孔隙直径下限为170.9 nm;CH_(4)主要动用中—大孔隙中的原油,动用孔隙直径下限为48.7 nm;CO_(2)可以动用各个尺寸孔隙中的原油,动用孔隙直径下限最低,为27.8 nm。油田现场建立CO_(2)驱先导试验区,注CO_(2)后产液量上升,含水率下降,产油量增加,研究成果在现场应用效果良好。

Reservoir characteristics of Datta Formation (Early Jurassic), Marwat-Khisor Ranges, sub-Himalayas, Pakistan

The present work has been accomplished to carry out a detailed study of the characteristics of the Early Jurassic Datta Formation of Trans-Indus Ranges, Pakistan. The discovery of Saib well-1 (Gas and condensate discovery from Jurassic limestone) in the study basin takes an active interest in carrying out extensive exploration activities in the same basin. Jurassic rocks especially Datta Sandstone and Samana Suk Limestone are acting as good reservoirs. The study unit consists of variegated sandstone interbedded with siltstone, carbonaceous clay, and shale and coal stringer. For the current work, two stratigraphic sections (Pezu and Abbo Wanda) have been measured. To examine its sedimentology, depositional environment, diagenetic settings, and reservoir characteristics, a detailed study was conducted and various laboratory techniques have been utilized. About 95 rock samples from the bottom to the top of both sections were collected, and 50 rock samples have been selected for thin section analysis and were examined under a polarizing microscope to show their mineralogical composition, diagenesis, and their reservoir characteristics. XRD (X-ray diffraction), Cathodoluminescence (CL), SEM (Scanning electron microscope) with EDS (Energy-dispersive spectroscope), and Core plug porosity and permeability analysis have been used to interpret its chemical and mineralogical composition and its reservoir characteristics, respectively. Based on field observations and thin section analysis, four depositional facies and six lithofacies have been established. The sedimentary structures, depositional facies, and lithofacies indicate that Datta Formation was deposited in a deltaic environment. Compactions, cementation, fracturing and dissolution can greatly affect the quality of reservoir rock. Based on thin section and SEM analysis, large numbers of primary pores, fracture and secondary pores were observed and connectivity between the pores is good, and at some places, these pores were filled through the authigenic clay minerals like kaolinite, mixed layers illite/smectite and chlorite that influences the reservoir characteristics. Primary pores (thin section) and secondary pores (dissolution pores) and core plug porosity and permeability data (porosity 13.23%-26.89% and permeability 0.12 to 149 mD) shows that Datta Formation has a good reservoir quality.